Dan 24/7: #DontMix Campaign

Alex, our contributor, went to speak to Janet Roberts, one of the managers at local drug and alcohol service – Dan 24/7. In this latest chat with Egwyl, Janet discusses what they do, how they help and provides some key tips.

By Alex Whilding, Egwyl Contributor

Dan 24/7 is a drugs and alcohol helpline. It’s free to contacts, any time, 24 hours a day and provides support in both Welsh and English.

The Welsh Government recently put money into the service for the nationwide campaign called #dontmix. This campaign has recently been promoted in Cardiff at the Autumn Internationals at the Millennium Stadium.

The service has been operating between six to seven years. This is a helpline like no other and managed by Janet Roberts: “What makes us different to other helplines is that we are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year,” she said.

Working for a service like Dan 24/7, the mind wonders on how the helping works: “You have got the emotional support side, people trying to give up drugs or alcohol, and want some support to keep going.”

“People ring helplines when they are at their lowest”

Now the campaign is fully funded by the Welsh Government. The reasoning behind this campaign is because of the rise of drug and alcohol related deaths over several years for the first time. This was reported by the Office for National Statistics.

“The campaign is not about a particular age group or a particular drug,” said Janet, “the harm reduction message out about being safe,” she added.

When asked about the meaning of the hashtag, Janet said: “Know your limits, know the risks and don’t mix. What we are saying is be informed”